Crows

A family of crows have been showing their fledgelings how to get food from our bird feeders. We have several kinds of feeders, and they have been figuring out how to get something from each of them.

One crow parent has learned to fly up from the ground and get beakfuls of soft suet from a feeder designed for little birds. Another clings to the little wooden peg while she gets suet.

The tray feeder that has a roof over it is a tight fit for a crow, but most of the crows have figured out how to wedge themselves in and get suet balls and peanuts. It has been entertaining to watch the juveniles slide down the roof and wind up on the metal branch. They are trying to figure out how much jumping and flapping it takes to get in between the tray and the roof.

The young crows haven't really tried the "dinner bell" tray feeders. The parents are able to cling and flap enough to get food from those.

But yesterday one of the juvvies surpassed its parent and balanced on the small seed-catching tray of the seed tube feeder. It pecked seeds out onto the ground for everyone to share.

So it's quite the operation this year to see the crows gain food. It's challenging to get pictures of them because they like to think they are getting away with something, and if they see us look up at them they fly away. Years ago I resented how much food they were taking, but for a long time now I have been admiring of their ingenuity. And I have learned not to refill things too quickly.